"Why
not go out on a limb? Thats where the fruit is." - Will Rogers.
Do bad things happen in threes? They did to us in the summer of 1993.
And finally we had to respond in faith.
First, the insurance company that protected our home mortgage against
layoffs dropped all its policies in our state (Florida). New insurance wouldnt take
effect for three months.
A few weeks later my wifes doctor told her shed developed
spinal arthritis. She needed to move to a drier climate or face life in a wheelchair.
Ten days after that and six weeks before the new insurance was
available - the layoffs that had claimed three-fourths of our plants work force
caught up with me.
We talked with our churchs financial counselor. He told us to cut
every possible item from our budget. That even included our church giving, because the
church chose to help us and wanted to stretch its money.
I job-hunted actively, concentrating on dry climates where we thought
Yvonne could live. Results? None.
So, in November 1994, a year and a quarter after the layoff, we and our
two teen-aged children were living in a tent trailer in Californias Mojave Desert.
We had no home, no aid, no savings, and no unemployment insurance. Our only income
was a $337 monthly pension. Food alone cost more than that. In many campgrounds rent did
too. Only our credit cards were letting us survive.
Then a quiet, illogical-sounding thought began to nag at me: start
giving 10% (a "tithe") of each pension check to our church in Barstow.
Now normally giving $30 or so a month isnt difficult. But when
your familys lowest monthly expenses are three times your income, how
can you give anything extra? I pushed the idea aside: "Its not
possible."
But that still, small, persistent prompting wouldnt go away. It kept at me. And
at me. Until finally, one Sunday morning, I took what seemed like a giant step of
faith and put a $33-plus check in the church offering.
Three days later the kids and I drove into town to check our mailbox. There was a
letter from a friend back East with a check for $500! I was overwhelmed; almost
speechless. 14-year-old Yvette spoke up: "Dad, youd sure better tithe on
that one!"
Then a quiet voice seemed to say, "Look at the postmark." I did. The letter
had been mailed Monday, one day after my "step of faith!" So that coming
Sunday a $50 tithe check went into the offering!
The next evening we asked our 13-year-old son Bill to wash our dinner dishes at the
campground laundry room. While there, he chatted with an overnight guest about what had
happened to us. She said, "If your Dad wants to work that badly, have him come talk
to me in the morning!" She was setting up a special display in a Palmdale, California
store from Thanksgiving till Christmas, and needed help!
I met her Tuesday morning. On Wednesday we drove the 100 miles to
Palmdale, saw her display, talked again, reached agreement, and returned. Thursday
(Thanksgiving Day) we packed up, had dinner at a neighboring church, and towed our tent
trailer to a Palmdale-area campground. On Friday, 15 months after my layoff and just five
days after giving that second tithe check, I began working!
At first it looked like a temporary fill-in job, and only paid half our
bills. But it grew into full-time self-employment for five years. It wasnt easy. We
all had to travel to a new city in any of eight Western states every week, paying our own
expenses. But we did it. We worked hard. Gradually our income grew.
That work continued for five years. Finally it ended when our traveling
stopped in Wyoming, just as the manna ceased when Israel entered the Promised Land.
Self-employment was no cure-all. Ultimately, it didnt even let us
avoid bankrukptcy, though it delayed it for several years. Most importantly, it bought
time and let us survive. It paid for groceries and rent in a long series of campgrounds,
trailer parks, and inexpensive motels. We never had to sleep in our car or out in the
desert. We didnt have to make meals from ketchup packets like one mother and three
children we knew. Once wed taken such simple blessings for granted. Now we
appreciated them.
Tithing - by faith - had been our key.
What are tithes?
A "tithe" is 10% of ones income. The word comes from the
English word "tenth." The original Hebrew word was "maaser."
According to Harpers Bible Dictionary, the principle of giving a tenth to either God
or the king was widespread in ancient Mesopotamia. It appears early in the Old Testament
(twice, before the Mosaic Law).
In Gen. 14:20, Abraham tithed to the "high priest" Melchizedek.
And when Jacob dreamed that God spoke to him from the top of a ladder reaching to
heaven, he promised "I will give you back a tenth of everything you give me!"
(Gen. 28:10-22.)
Why tithe? Deuteronomy 14:23 teaches that its "to
teach you always to put God first in your lives." The NIV translates it
"so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always;" the King James,
to "fear God."
My first pastor explained, "The first 10% of what you earn is
Gods. The other 90% is yours." (That agrees with Proverbs 3:9-10,
"Honor the Lord by giving him the first part of all your income.") For
me, that teaching came at an ideal time: before Id set up a budget or lived on my
own. I tithed from the start. That turned out to be much easier than changing my spending
habits later.
Should we still tithe today? I know people including good
friends who say "no." For them, thats because Christians
arent required to follow most Jewish laws. Why do I believe its still right?
Partly because tithing was widespread before the Mosaic Law, so its validity
doesnt depend on whether that law is still in force. Partly because "learning
to put God first" is timeless. And partly because God has impressed my family that we
should do it. But we do npt criticize Christians who dont. We know from personal
experience how difficult it can be..
One pastor I knew scoffed at Deuteronomy 14:23. He said, "people
wont give if you tell them that." He preached that we should give because our
money would be multiplied. That bothered me. It seemed to say "Things
are first: money, cars, boats, RVs, jewelry, cruises. Give to us and youll get
them." I thought of the Living Bibles translation of Romans 2:22: "You
say, Dont pray to idols," and then make money your god instead."
But the Bible says to give because God is first! If he is, it
shouldnt matter how or when he rewards us, in this life or the next.
God has blessed my own family abundantly. But hes done it with love, unity, faith,
ideas, rich experiences, and an awareness of his presence. Money? Not yet.
Jesus also taught us to put God first. "Your heavenly Father
... will give ... [food and clothing] ... to you if you give him first place in your life
and live as he wants you to" (Matt. 6:32-33; also Luke 12:31; 14:33; Prov. 3:6;
3:9-10.)
Is tithing easy?
Heres my experience.
In the spring of my senior year at whats now Northwest University
in Kirkland, Washington, its president asked if Id consider attending summer school,
getting a Masters degree, and becoming their librarian. Id never thought of
that career, but after prayer felt a quiet witness to say "yes."
It was too late to apply to any Masters program for that summer.
But the nearby University of Washington accepted me as a "transient" student,
which meant I could earn graduate credits to transfer to another university. It was still
too early in Northwests history for Washington itself to accept its credits, though
that happened soon afterwards.
The University of Denver accepted me for the following summer, but with
one condition: first theyd verify that Washington accepted Northwests degree.
My heart sank. I knew what UW would say.
Needing advice, I talked to Northwests registrar, Amos Millard.
He said, "Go. Get enrolled. Establish a record. Then you can bargain." That
sounded good, if theyd let me in to start with!
There was one other problem: money. Northwest was a "faith"
ministry. That year I earned less than $300 a month, and tithed on it! I tried hard to
save money, but by spring it was obvious that, whatever we did, my salary wouldnt
stretch far enough. And wed have to pay rent on two apartments, in Seattle and
Denver, because my wife was almost 6 months pregnant, and the doctor wouldnt let her
travel.
Would my plans have to be cancelled? It looked that way. Yet Id
committed. What should I do?
At that point an intelligent, reasonable person would likely have
tapped his tithe money. But, naive or not, I honestly never considered it. I simply
believed that 10% of "my" income was Gods, and that I could live on the
rest. All my planning was done that way.
Finally I knelt down in the living room of our tiny apartment north of Seattle and
prayed. "God, you know there isnt enough money to get me to Denver and back.
But I believe you want me to go, so Ill go anyway. And Im asking you to send
whatever money Ill need, when I need it." I paused, then added
"And, so Ill know its you, I not only wont tell anyone else
how much we need, I wont even tell anyone that we need anything."
To this day, I cant imagine how I prayed that. Someone certainly
must have been praying for me! Missionaries did this sort of thing. I didnt. It was
worse than scary. It felt as if Id pledged to walk a completely invisible high-wire
across a deep canyon!
But, right after that, little things started happening. Nothing big.
Looking back, it seems as if God was telling me "this is easy!" But it certainly
didnt feel that way to me.
Id been paying a professor $2 a week to car-pool to work. A month
or two before time to leave, he said "Pete, youre going to need all your cash
for summer school. I wont take any more gas money from you."
Then a Japanese student came up to me in the library and handed me $5,
saying "I feel God wants me to give you this." Akiei was attending school full
time and working full time to support his wife and children. Both elbows of his suit coat
were patched. I didnt want to take his money! Yet I didnt know how to refuse.
(God blessed him; he later became superintendent of the Japan Assemblies of God.)
I found a ride as far as Wyoming with a student who was driving home to
Nebraska for the summer. When Bob dropped me at the Cheyenne railroad station, I gave him
$20 for my share of the gas. He looked at it, shook his head, and handed back $5.
Before the train reached Denver, Id acquired a full-blown case of
the flu from a dry, cracked throat (after crossing Wyomings deserts without enough
water). My first night in Denver was spent fighting fever, chills, and loneliness in a $3
downtown hotel, serenaded by clattering dishes and silverware from a restaurant kitchen
next door.
But things improved the next day. I found an attractive basement
apartment within walking distance of the University for half the going rate. I
saved more on the apartment each month than I was paying in tithes! I mailed the
address to my wife in Seattle.
Registration day came. I entered hesitantly. At every table I expected
someone to say "Please step over here. Theres a problem with your
admission." But no one did, and I wasnt about to ask.
I knew I didnt have all the money, so I kept asking "how
much do I have to pay today?" Everyone answered, "the cashier will tell
you." I thought, "Thanks a lot! I want to know before then!" It did
no good.
Finally I pushed my completed papers through the cashiers window,
and repeated the question. She replied, "all the fees are due today, and a third of
the tuition. You can get a loan for the rest." She told me the amount. I had enough,
with three dollars left over!
I thought back to Professor Simpsons $2-per-week; to Akieis
and Bobs $5s. Every one of them had made the difference!
It was thrilling! Marvelous! Real! Faith-building!
Still, I needed books, and $3 wasnt enough. I walked home, and
found a letter from my wife, with a check from relatives who never sent money
except for Christmas or birthdays. It covered all my books.
The summer passed steadily. Cabbage was 1 cent a pound, and I cooked a
lot of it. Classes went well. No one mentioned Washingtons non-recognition of my
degree, and I didnt bring it up.
In August a note came from my advisor. The results of the Graduate
Record Exams wed taken early in the summer were in, and would I see him? I did, and
was shocked to be told Id gotten the highest scores of anyone in the library school!
As we talked, he commented "Your file says that your admission
depended on the University of Washington validating your degree. But I dont see any
results." He picked up the phone, called Admissions, talked for several minutes, hung
up, and said "They never contacted Washington! So now they wanted you to take extra
classes to validate your degree. I argued, because of your GRE scores and all your
As. I won. Youre fully admitted!"
The tuition loan was due in two payments: one in July, one in August.
As each deadlilne neared, there was no extra money at all, and no source in sight!
My stomachs butterfly collection rivalled the magnificent one in the Denver Museum
of Natural History! But each time, mere days before, an unforeseen check came. Each
payment was made.
It was thoroughly nerve-wracking. Yet it was uplifting, transforming,
life-changing! I learned that God was indeed real. My faith, too, became real. It had to!
Nothing was ever the same again, except the butterflies. Even today, they never lessen. I
just have to try to ignore them.
At summers end, Greyhound delivered me back to Seattle with less
than $5 in my pocket!
God honored my decision to tithe despite the challenges. He turned my
faith into reality. And I got my Masters degree exactly on time.
How were tithes used?
In Scripture, tithes had three recorded purposes.
Tithes supported the nations worship.
"Moses had decreed that these offerings belonged to the
priests, Levites, the members of the choir, and the gatekeepers" (Neh. 13:5).
All these groups were from the tribe of Levi. Just as all pastors are church workers,
but not all church workers are pastors, not all Levites (only Aarons descendants)
were priests. But all had a role in worship, and tithes supported them all - including
choir members, musicians, bailiffs, and temple guards.
Read: Num. 18:2-3; 18:6; 18:21; 1 Chron. 6:31-49; 1 Chron.
chapters 15, 16, and 23-26; 2 Chron. 31:2-21; Neh. 10: 35-39; 12:44-47; 13:10-14;
13:30-31; Ezek. 44:29-30.
Kings Joash and Josiah used special offerings to repair the Temple (2
Kings 12:4-16; 2 Kings 22:3-7; 2 Chron. 24:4-14; 2 Chron. 34-8-13).
Neh. 10:37-39 describes how tithes (often in the form of grain,
fruit, vegetables, wine, or animals) were distributed after the Jews returned from exile.
When the people didnt tithe, the priests and Levites could go
hungry. "Gone are the offerings of grain and wine to bring to the Temple of the
Lord; the priests are starving. Hear the crying of these ministers of God.
"O priests, robe yourselves in sackcloth. O ministers of my God,
lie all night before the altar, weeping. For there are no more offerings of grain and wine
for you" (Joel 1:9, 1:13).
Tithes were used in thanksgiving feasts.
"Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the
firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he
will choose as a dwelling for his Name ... you and your household shall eat there in the
presence of the Lord your God and rejoice" (Deut. 14:22-26, NIV).
Did you know that tithes were used for feasts? I didnt!
Do you suppose that means you can spend your tithe at Dennys
after church?
I wish! But this was more like a church pot luck dinner at
Thanksgiving: feasting to thank God for his blessings in a way that taught people to
revere God. And, as much as I like the Olive Garden, Ive yet to find that eating
there teaches me to put God first!
One prophet cautions: "In your holy feasts to God, you ... think
... only of the food and fellowship and fun ... the prophets warned ... that this attitude
would surely lead to ruin" (Zech. 7:6-7).
Tithes helped the poor.
"Every third year is a year of special tithing. That year you
are to give all your tithes to the Levites, migrants, orphans, and widows, so that they
will be well fed" (Deut. 26:12).
Also read: Deut. 14:28-29; 26:13-19.
We Christians often forget these verses. Ive never heard
them quoted in any sermon or Bible study. Not once. That made me curious how
long the Jews continued to obey them. So I checked.
I was impressed. To begin with, the books called the Apocrypha show
that, even during the Captivity, hundreds of years after Moses, Jews gave tithes to the
poor. Tobit says "I performed many acts of charity for my kindred and my people who
had gone with me in exile to Nineveh" ... "A third tenth I would give to the
orphans and widows and to the converts who had attached themselves to Israel. I would
bring it and give it to them in the third year, and we would eat it according to the
ordinance decreed concerning it in the law of Moses ... I would give my food to the hungry
and my clothing to the naked" (Tobit 1: 3; 1:8; 1:17; NRSV).
Today, Jews are taught to "give at least 10% of their net income to charity every
year," not every third. Thats charity, not just church giving. It includes
giving to local synagogues, but the share thats used to help people still appears
higher than is common in Christian churches. (Lisa Katz,
http://judaism.about.com/od/beliefs/a/tzedakah_what.htm).
The colloquial Hebrew word for giving to those in need is "tzedakah," and it
has a very interesting background. Literally, it means "righteousness." It comes
from the word "tzedek" ("righteous") coupled with the Hebrew letter
"hey," which represents the Divine name. So charitable giving, or tzedakah, is
"a good deed that is made in partnership with God." In the Bible, it also refers
to "justice, kindness, ethical behavior and the like."
Katz asks how one Hebrew word can mean both justice and charity. Her
answer is that Judaism considers charity to be an act of justice. She explains that
"Judaism holds that people in need have a legal right to food, clothing and shelter
that must be honored by more fortunate people. According to Judaism, it is unjust and even
illegal for Jews to not give charity to those in need. Thus, giving charity in Jewish law
and tradition is viewed as obligatory self-taxation, rather than voluntary donation."
Pope Benedict XVI agreed with Katz. In 2008, he told Christians that
helping the poor and abandoned is a "duty of justice, even prior to being an act of
charity" (Associated Press).
Tzedakah includes "giving money to the poor, to health care
institutions, to synagogues or to educational institutions, to both Jews and Gentiles.
Supporting grown children and elderly parents is also a form of tzedakah."
Some Christians believe tithes were never paid on income, only on
things like cattle, grain, and wine. Jacobs promise to give God 10% "of
everything you give me" seems to disagree. And that would have meant craftsmen,
metalworkers, tentmakers, field workers, and others would never have given anything.
But remember Proverbs 3:9-10, "Honor the Lord by giving him the first part of all
your income." Thats ALL. And on the same web site where Lisa Katz writes,
Rabbi Shraga Simmons says that, for Jews, the tithe consists of "ten percent of a
persons wages after taxes." Those who wish to can give up to 20% (more than
that is discouraged).
To God, how important was using tithes to help the needy? So vital that
it was the only command in the entire Law that He required the Israelites to
certify theyd done:
"Then you shall declare before the Lord your God, I have
given all of my tithes to the Levites, the migrants, the orphans, and the widows, just as
you commanded me ... I have obeyed the Lord my God ... Bless your people and the land you
have given us, as you promised our ancestors; make it a land flowing with milk and
honey!" (Deut. 26:13-15.)
Can we, as Christians, honestly justify doing less than the Old
Testament standard? At the Judgment, how will we defend our lack of love?
How generously did the early church give to its neighbors?
"All the believers ... shared everything with each other,
selling their possessions and dividing with those in need. They ... shared their meals
with great joy and thankfulness, praising God. The whole city was favorable to them"
(Acts 2:44-46).
Paul painted a moving picture of early Greek Christians
generosity toward hungry believers in Jerusalem:
"Though they have been going through much trouble and hard
times, they have mixed their wonderful joy with their deep poverty, and the result has
been an overflow of giving to others. They gave not only what they could afford, but far
more; and I can testify that they did it because they wanted to ... so they could share in
the joy of helping the Christians in Jerusalem.
"You people there are leaders in so many ways ... Now I want you
to be leaders also in the spirit of cheerful giving ... it isn't important how much you
have to give. God wants you to give what you have, not what you haven't" (2 Cor.
8:2-4; 8:7; 8:11-12; also Acts 4:32-37; 2 Cor. 9:1-2; 9:6-13).
Those Christians measured their giving simply by the love God had
placed in their hearts.
Today, should we still give part of our tithes to the needy?
Should we still put God first? Love Him? Prove we love our neighbors by
helping them?
Has God changed any of those commands? No.
So I believe he still expects us to help the poor with our tithes.
But it does seem to me that, in todays society, its more
efficient to set aside a third of every offering for the poor, rather than giving
all of it every third year. My own family does that, in a variety of ways that depend on
needs, circumstances, and how we sense God leading us.
Why?
Because of one modern innovation.
Monthly payments.
In Moses day the church had no mortgage, no pastors' salaries, no
utility bills, no insurance bills. It was much easier to give a whole years tithes
to the poor. Now churches have all those expenses every month, every year.
Today, its also impossible for most of the needy to live without
monthly income. In Bible times the poor often still owned land and homes. They could grow
(and glean) food. But today almost everyone, rich or poor, has monthly payments for
housing, groceries, clothes, water, utilities, medical care, and more. Those all take
regular income.
Who should help the needy? Relatives? Friends? Individual Christians? Local churches?
Nonprofit organizations? City, County, State or Federal agencies?
My experiences tell me "This is an Air Force test!"
What's that mean?
In the mid-1980s, when I worked at Vandenberg Air Force Base, we took many Air
Force classes. An Air Force officer always taught the lesson, for instance about the
Launch Pad. Then wed end with a multiple-choice test.
Before we took the test, our teacher would read all the questions and possible answers.
Often the choices would include "all of the above." On those questions, the
officer would pause, grin at the class, and say "Remember, this is an Air Force
test!" And wed know the answer
Who needs to help our neighbors? "All of the above." We ALL have a share in
"loving and helping our neighbors." Each can reach some "neighbors"
others cant. If we want the job done to Gods satisfaction, we all have a role.
Why does the New Testament condemn the Pharisees? They tithed.
The Pharisees were the "Bible believers" and most
dedicated churchgoers of their day. So why did Jesus condemn them? Two major reasons. They
rejected him. And they forgot that even religion doesnt please God unless we love
and help our neighbors!
"Purity is best demonstrated by generosity.
"But woe to you Pharisees! For though you are careful to tithe
even the smallest part of your income, you completely forget about justice and the love of
God. You should tithe, yes, but you should not leave these other things undone" (Luke
11:41-42).
More Scriptures: Prov. 28:24; Matt.15:3-6; 23:23; Mark
7:10-13; 1 Tim. 5:3-4; 5:8; 5:16.
Can we "rob Jesus" even if we dont "rob God?"
"Will a man rob God? Surely not! And yet you have robbed
me.
"What do you mean? When did we ever rob you?
"You have robbed me of the tithes and offerings due to me.
And so the awesome curse of God is cursing you, for your whole nation has been robbing me.
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so that there will be food enough in my temple;
if you do, I will open up the windows of heaven for you and pour out a blessing so great
you wont have room to take it in!" (Mal. 3:8-12.)
But what if we do tithe, but dont give the Scriptural
third of the tithe to the needy?
Jesus teaches in Matthew 25:31-46 that if we dont feed and
clothe the poor, were not feeding him. If we dont help the sick,
were not helping him.
If we dont budget part of our tithes for the needy,
therell be many of Jesus "brothers and sisters" we wont
be able to help. And if we dont help them, were not helping him.
Isnt that like letting Jesus go hungry or without clothing?
Isnt that robbing Jesus?
Can churches easily give a third of their offerings?
Only one church Ive ever attended gave the Biblical
third of its income to the needy, and that church only did it during the tenure of one
pastor. Most of the others gave less than 1% of their budgets to "loving their
neighbors." Thats less than 1/30th of what the Bible teaches!
Can churches afford to help their needy as much as the Bible teaches?
Many pastors and board members will first respond exactly as I did in that Mojave Desert
campground: "No. Its not possible."
A friend of ours, Jonathan, told us about a ministry leader whose
groups income kept dwindling. He sought the Lord in prayer, asking how the ministry
could recover. God answered in an unexpected way. That "still, small voice" told
him clearly, "help the poor." He responded "God, we cant!" God
didnt argue. He simply repeated: "help the poor."
At the next board meeting, Jonathans friend reported what he
believed God had said. The board replied, "We cant." He told them,
"We have to." They did. Within a few months, their income recovered. They not
only helped the poor, but once again met their regular budget.
A few years ago the Internet site of one U.S. megachurch
listed nearly 20 pages of volunteer opportunities, but no "love your
neighbors" ministries! Then the pastor and his wife realized "we werent
doing anything." They started. The last time I looked, that church had grown in both
caring and membership. They needed volunteers for a dozen "people ministries."
One Illinois pastor says, "We found how little we know about the
people around us. We started asking around, What are the needs of the
community? When you present that need to people, theyre very responsive.
People have very generous hearts."
Its true. Often we simply have to see the need, know that God
teaches us to pitch in, and trust him to help us do it.
God did establish the principle of giving that third. He
thinks "loving our neighbors" that much will make a real difference. Hell
reward it.
How can a church start?
Theres no easy answer. Love for God and our neighbors must find a
common path with faith, vision, and practicality.
But pastors encourage even low-income people to tithe by faith.
We use "faith pledges" for missions. Can we use the same principles to love and
help our neighbors?
Obeying opens whole new ministry horizons. We can help senior citizens,
single mothers, or laid-off workers with rent, medicine, or food. We can help students
through college. And more. The community will respond.
It all comes down to our priorities.
"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished
by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all." -Dale
Carnegie
Doors to starting a "help" ministry will often appear
firmly shut. But the Word tells us thats when we should "knock."
Years later, I still smile at the way one of my own "closed
doors" opened.
One weekend when I was single, a lady friend (not a girlfriend) wanted
to go with me to explore the Anza-Borrego desert 125 miles east of San Diego. However, our
schedules created a problem. She needed to come back Sunday night for work the next day,
while I had to stay over for a Monday business meeting. We decided to drive over together,
but first park her car in a safe suburb to which she and her young son could return by
bus.
I asked advice from a policeman friend. He suggested leaving her
vehicle in his police stations parking lot. It was close to the bus, in a good
neighborhood. As a bonus, he promised "Well watch it for you."
Everything seemed set. Then, without warning, it all fell apart.
When we rendezvoused after work Friday evening, the stricken look on
her face warned me we had a problem. "I just realized my license plates
expired!" she cried. "I cant get a new one till Monday. What are we going
to do?"
It hardly seemed wise to park her car at the police station. We tried
to think of another solution. Anything workable! But we came up blank.
Finally I said, "Look. Just follow me. Lets drive out near
Johns station. Well look at the neighborhood and then
figure something out."
We drove to La Mesa. I parked near the police station. She parked a
discreet distance away.
I went in. The receptionist was young, friendly, and wanted to be
helpful. But when I explained, she looked doubtful. "I dont want to disagree
with John," she said, "but we get awfully busy on Friday and Saturday nights. I
dont think wed have room for your friends car." She frowned,
thinking. Then her face lit up. "I know! She can park at the curb right in
front!"
I didnt want to admit why I didnt think that would work.
Buying time to find a reasonable way to say "no," I said "Let me go
look." It didnt take long to find my "out." Directly in front of the
station was a "two-hour parking" sign.
I went back in. "Thanks," I told the receptionist, "but
thats a two-hour zone, and well be gone for the whole weekend."
The young woman beamed. "No problem!" She handed me a
4-by-6-inch placard. Bold letters across its face read "DO NOT TICKET THIS CAR."
As I read it, light dawned. That card didnt say
why! Just "dont ticket." For any reason!
Including expired plates!
Now it was my turn to beam. "Thanks!" I said, and meant it
wholeheartedly!
So we left my friends car in the two-hour zone in front of the
police station for two full days and nights, with its outdated license plate in full view.
As John promised, the police watched it for us. They did not ticket it!
Beginning a "help" ministry isnt usually that simple.
It takes prayer, patience, work, love, faith, and commitment. But it has been done. I pray
that it will be done in your community. It will bring Gods blessing!
"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" - Vincent
van Gogh |